Drive-By Truckers frontman Patterson Hood playing Asheville, NC, gigs

Thursday

Feb 14, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Being without his beloved acoustic guitar for a few days was excruciating for Patterson Hood.

By JASON GILMERFor the Herald-Journal

Being without his beloved acoustic guitar for a few days was excruciating for Patterson Hood.After the guitar was stolen following a recent gig, the Drive-By Truckers singer made a passionate public plea for its return.Luckily, the plea worked.Hood said he felt “very violated” over the event.“My guitar is a very personal thing; it was custom made for me by a dear friend and all the insurance in the world wouldn't replace that one,” he wrote in an email interview. “It is truly my prized material possession.”Hood will have the guitar in hand when he plays back-to-back shows at The Grey Eagle in Asheville, N.C., this week. Hood plays tonight and Friday.Hood said having the instrument returned was a good feeling. Hood's management was contacted by a fan about the guitar's whereabouts.“It's weird. We generally have the greatest fans in the world, and here you had one bad apple do something really terrible, then another one go all out to make it right,” he said.Solo shows for Hood are generally different from the rocking good times had during Drive-By Truckers sets.A lot of material Hood plans to play during the two-show stint will be from his new album, “Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance,” which was released in September.

“Different songs, different vibe, different volume level,” he said explaining the shows' differences. “I even sing somewhat differently. The songs in this show center around my latest album and songs that fit with those songs.“I do play a handful of Drive-By Truckers songs, but they are generally ones that Drive-By Truckers almost never play and, as I said, songs that fit with my new album.”He's currently writing his part of the next Truckers album, and he said they plan to begin recording next month.With all of the gigs he's playing, Hood said it's sometimes hard to find time to write.“It is a struggle with everything else I have on my plate, but it's too important to not make a priority,” he said.The songs from the solo project came while Patterson was attempting to write a book. When the book stopped flowing, the songs kept coming.He hasn't returned seriously to the book project, saying he just “dabbles” with it but would love to get back to it.“I love writing, whatever type it ends up being. Writing is generally my release and my way of coping with whatever is eating at me,” he said.“Songwriting is way easier, as I hear them in my head and follow them where they lead, but I think I can do a pretty decent job of whatever kind of writing I apply myself to. It's just sort of what I do. If there's ever a time when I'm on the road less, I will probably write more.”